


Pink Love Letters

by merionlilia



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Enemies to Lovers, Feelings Realization, First Kiss, Fluff, Love Confessions, Love Letters, M/M, Shyness
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-30
Updated: 2020-12-30
Packaged: 2021-03-11 03:22:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,553
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28438317
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/merionlilia/pseuds/merionlilia
Summary: After Nishinoya and Asahi returned to the team, Hinata discovers that someone is sending him love letters at school.
Relationships: Hinata Shouyou/Kageyama Tobio
Comments: 11
Kudos: 132





	Pink Love Letters

**Author's Note:**

> This fanfiction is set between volumes 3 and 4 / the first season of the anime, however, I decided to add a spoiler about Kageyama’s family (ch. 387) in the last paragraph. I’m using the Japanese term uwabaki, which are Japanese slippers worn at school that the students put at the entrance. They are kept inside a personal locker.   
> Enjoy the reading!!

It all started the day after Asahi returned to the team. Like every morning, Hinata parked his bicycle outside the school and crossed the courtyard with a cheerful pace, thinking back to the match played the day before against the team formed by the Neighborhood Association and the ace. Inside the school, he went to his locker, which was in the row with all those of the first-year students, and noticed a tall, familiar figure with black hair nearby. Kageyama was in front of his locker and about to close it.

Hinata smiled instantly. "Good morning, Kageyama!" he greeted, waving his arms to attract the attention of the setter.

Kageyama turned slightly his head, giving Hinata a fleeting glance. "Good morning," he said coldly. He closed the locker with a click and then left.

Hinata froze at that reaction. He lowered his arms slowly, feeling disappointment creep into him in the form of a stinging sensation. "I just wanted to have a chat," he commented, alone. “I thought he was getting used to teaming up with me. Why is he still rude?"

He had hoped to have gotten a little closer to the setter than on the first day of high school. The day before, they had tried together to persuade Asahi to return to the team and played a good match. Instead, Kageyama continued to act selfishly off the court.

Puffing, Hinata snapped open his locker and reached out to grab the uwabaki. He pulled them out, but, with that quick gesture, he also moved something else.

"Uh?" he uttered, surprised, looking down at a small rectangle of pink paper that was twirling to the ground. The uwabaki fell from his hand with a thud as he hurried to pick up that mysterious object.

He inspected it between his fingers. It was an envelope. A pink envelope with a frame of red hearts. On the back, it was written, “ _For Hinata Shouyou_.”

“Don't tell me that's what I think…” Hinata became so euphoric that he didn't even realize he was speaking out loud. He opened the envelope and pulled out a piece of paper of the same color. He rushed to read the short text.

_I love you._

There was no signature. With trembling fingers, Hinata read those words at least ten times to make sure he wasn't wrong, then looked up in disbelief.

"Someone sent me a love letter," he whispered to convince himself of the fact. He felt his cheeks tingle from how much he was smiling. "So has spring finally arrived for me?"

The last bell before the start of the lessons rang. Holding his breath, Hinata looked at the clock hanging on the wall. He closed the envelope, put it in his bag, quickly changed his shoes, and ran to class.

* * *

The happiness of having found the letter didn’t leave Hinata all morning. In fact, he followed the lessons absent-mindedly.

After the lunch break, Hinata went to the locker room of the volleyball club. He hummed as he pulled on his sweatpants. After adjusting the elastic at the waist, he noticed that his teammates were chuckling.

"Hinata, you look happy," Sugawara said. "Did something good happen?"

"If you hum like that, you’ll infect all of us with your joy," Daichi exclaimed, joking.

"Really?" said Hinata.

"But that's a good thing," Daichi continued.

Sugawara put a hand on the captain's shoulder. “Don't distract him, Daichi. I want to know what’s going on. Hinata, tell us."

Hinata felt the eyes of all his teammates on him, except those of Kageyama, who was calmly adjusting the shirt on his chest. Hinata couldn't wait to tell the setter, who had almost ignored him before, that someone was hitting on him.

"I found a letter with a confession in my locker this morning," he said in one breath.

The first ones to react were Tanaka and Nishinoya. With enthusiastic shouts, the two boys on the second year clung to his neck.

"You too have landed in the world of adults, Hinata!" Tanaka exclaimed, shaking his kohai. "I'm so proud of you!"

Tsukishima's subtle laugh echoed around the room. "Why do you talk about the world of adults if you don't have a girlfriend," whispered the middle blocker with a mocking smile.

“Tsukishima, don't speak about your senpai like that. You can’t understand,” Nishinoya scolded him, then turned to Hinata, his big brown eyes blazing, “What a great conqueror you are! Do you even know who she is? "

Hinata shook his head. The two second-year students broke away to make him talk and let him breathe. “It was an anonymous letter,” Hinata explained. "It was just written that she likes me."

"Maybe she got the wrong locker," Tsukishima said.

"Stop it, Tsukishima," Hinata got angry, turning to the other first-year boy. "There was my name on the back of the envelope. It was addressed to me! I have it here. You see. " He pulled the envelope out of his bag.

Tanaka took the letter in his hand with reverence. “There is no doubt. You're a lucky guy,” he said to Hinata, then handed it back to him.

Among those who had been silent, Asahi, Yamaguchi, Narita, Kinoshita, Ennoshita gave Hinata a look of approval.

"How I'd love to get one," Yamaguchi said, blushing, then bit his lip and retreated to his silence.

"I hope you can figure out who they are," Sugawara said, approaching Hinata and slapping him on the back with an encouraging smile. “Start looking around. Maybe you will find a face watching you from afar."

"Maybe it's someone you spend a lot of time with," Asahi ventured.

"I want to find out," Hinata exclaimed to the senpai. Then, finally, he turned to Kageyama. “You have nothing to say, Kageyama? I bet you are dying of envy at the idea that I received a love letter and you never! Who would want a nasty person like you who hardly greets the others in the morning?"

Kageyama gave him an icy look that made Hinata take a few steps back. The setter seemed enveloped in a dark aura capable of killing him if he came into contact with it, and he realized he had really messed up this time.

Kageyama didn't come close to hit him. "I don't give a damn about this bullshit," he said abruptly instead. "Rather, you better receive well and spike my tosses without being distracted by this matter."

He closed his fists, turned his back on everyone, and strode out of the locker room. For a couple of seconds, no one spoke.

"Ooh, you struck a nerve," Tsukishima commented to Hinata.

Sugawara sighed. "I thought you and Kageyama were smoothing out your differences a bit," he said, opening the door and reaching out to look for Kageyama.

Hinata blinked once, twice, still incredulous. "I didn't expect he would be so angry!" he protested weakly.

Daichi was putting on the sweatshirt. "Come on, let's all go to the gym. I see you all dressed up and ready," he said, calling the entire team to order.

Everyone nodded at his words and went out of the locker room.

* * *

It was night. After reading Natsu a bedtime story, Hinata went to his room and searched for the pink letter in his bag. He looked again for any clues that could lead him to a specific person, but his attempt was in vain. He ran his fingers over the writing of his name. The handwriting meant nothing to him.

“Let’s say it’s someone in my class. Should I peek at the handwriting in the notebooks to figure it out? I will need an excuse. Argh, I'm not good at these things,” he thought, scratching his head.

He put the letter in the desk drawer with a sigh, then turned off the light and went to bed.

“I hope she likes volleyball. Or that she’s a sporty person from some other club…no, volleyball is the best!" he continued to fantasize, pulling up the blanket.

He thought of Kageyama's reaction when he told his teammates the fact. During training, Hinata had decided not to tease Kageyama anymore, or it would have been a mess, and he didn't want to argue with the setter. He had risked getting kicked out of the club once with Kageyama and didn't want to be in the same situation again. Kageyama, for his part, seemed to have calmed down his anger and tossed the ball accurately as usual, even if he had occasionally scolded him for not catching it.

"It’s also Bakageyama's fault we always fight," he thought. “It's a shame he's being grumpy. He makes me angry with his arrogant manners, but when he tosses me the ball, I feel happy."

Every time he felt, with his eyes closed, the ball reaching his hand, knowing that it appeared there where he needed it as if by magic, Hinata felt a sensation of indescribable euphoria. It was a feeling of connection that he had never experienced before, and it was Kageyama who made it possible.

“Argh, I'm thinking of Kageyama again! Even when he's not around, I see him in front of me." Cursing and hiding his head under the pillow, Hinata decided to think of something else that wasn't the setter.

* * *

Hinata had decided to find out at any cost who was the love letter’s sender. He went around the school during the recess, looking intently at faces as he had never done in his life. Tsukishima called him a pervert as he passed by.

The weekend went by. What Hinata certainly did not expect, opening the locker on Monday, was to find another letter inside.

Same envelope, same writing.

"Oh my god, oh my god," Hinata exclaimed, rubbing the paper between his fingers. He opened it immediately and found these words written in it

_You are beautiful._

Unfortunately, no name appeared this time either.

Hinata couldn't believe it. He felt the immediate, burning need to find someone trustworthy to confide in, so he headed to Daichi and Sugawara's classroom, forgetting the fear he had of going in the plan of the third-years.

His arrival at the senpai’s classroom was greeted with confused looks by older students he did not know.

"I'm not an elementary school kid," he explained shyly, seeing those curious faces. He began to jump to get noticed by his senpai. "Sugawara-san, Sawamura-san!" he whispered.

Daichi and Sugawara stood facing each other near the window. Once they noticed Hinata, the two approached him. Hinata showed the letter to the two.

Sugawara let out a surprised exclamation and said, "Hinata, this is amazing!! Your admirer is totally in love with you! You have to find out who it is!"

Hinata blushed. “I'm trying… ahh, I'd like to get some clues! I can't do anything right now,” he vented.

Daichi folded his arms, thoughtfully, finally said, “If this person really cares, which seems obvious to me since they sent you a second letter, I think they will show up again, but I have no idea what you can do now. Maybe you should ask a girl for an opinion. They seem more insightful to me in these things."

Sugawara nodded. "I agree."

"You're right, Sawamura-san!" said Hinata.

As it was time to go back to class, Hinata thanked and greeted his senpai.

“Good luck, Hinata! I root for you! " Sugawara exclaimed from the door as Hinata was in the corridor. Turning to the way he had to go, Hinata thought of Daichi's advice and discarded the idea of asking some classmates for help. He did not have many friends among the girls. But one girl with a lot of admirers came to his mind. Kiyoko Shimizu.

* * *

At first, the idea of talking to the manager, algid, beautiful and older than him, created a bit of fear in Hinata. The training was over, and the first-year students did the main tasks of tidying up and cleaning the gym.

Hinata passed the mop on the floor. He waited for all the club members to leave, knowing that Kiyoko would still be there to check that everything was all set. When he remained alone with the manager, he took a breath and went to her.

"Um, Shimizu-senpai, I need some advice ..." he stammered.

The girl stopped, and her clear grey eyes penetrated him. “Sure, Hinata. Tell me what I can do for you,” she said gently.

Hinata fidgeted with his fingers. He had never had such conversations with a girl before and suddenly felt embarrassed.

“I have found two letters from a girl in my locker in these days. I don't know who she is and what to do. I'd like to know her identity, do something, but… oh, wait, are you t…” he exclaimed, pointing his finger at her. An absurd assumption came up from his brain.

"It's not me, I'm sorry," the girl said politely, but drastic enough to leave no doubt.

"Okay, sorry," Hinata said, looking down. “I expected it. Would you help me with this situation, please?"

She remained silent, then asked, "How do you know it's a girl?"

That sentence surprised Hinata. "Huh?"

"If you don't know who the admirer is, how can you say it's a girl?" she repeated.

Hinata frowned, confused. “Usually, it's the girls who do these things. They send letters, they give chocolate on Valentine's Day. The letter was pink with little hearts!"

"I hate pink," the manager said, clutching the notebook to her chest. “And I wouldn't send a love letter even under torture. I think you know nothing about this person, apart from the fact they write you love letters."

Hinata gasped, "It's true...I have no idea."

Kiyoko smiled, her face softening. “If you care, why don't you leave a letter in your locker? You can address it to your mysterious admirer and write them something. If this person wants to put another letter in your locker, they will find yours and take it away. I don't know if it will work, but it's the only solution in these cases."

Hinata held his breath, then his mouth opened in a big smile. "Shimizu-senpai, it's a great idea!!" he exclaimed. "Thank you, I will definitely do it!" His enthusiasm was such that he grabbed her hands.

While pedaling on the bike, Hinata studied what to write to his admirer, but then his mind sailed towards other shores.

“What if it's a boy for real? Would it be okay for me to go out together?" he thought. Usually, it was the girls who confessed their feelings, whereas he imaged the boys who loved the boys more cautious in revealing their love for fear of being mocked or worse. That didn’t make sense to him.

“Anyone should feel free and safe to declare their feelings,” Hinata thought.

Arriving home, Hinata stole an envelope from his mother's documents archive and wrote to the mysterious admirer.

_Hi, I want to know more about you. Do you like volleyball?_

On the back of the envelope, he wrote, “ _For the kind person that sends me the pink letters_. _From Hinata._ ” He would leave it in the locker the following day, even if it was the beginning of the Golden Week.

“I hope this gesture makes this person as happy as I am to receive their letters. Ahh, I would like an answer as soon as possible."

Then he began to prepare the bag for the training camp at school, feeling excited at the idea of being away from home for the first time.

____

The last lessons had been boring, but Hinata breathed a great energy in the gym, perhaps due to having a practice match against Tokyo's Nekoma. The quick strike worked many times. Kageyama, to his joy, seemed satisfied. The confrontation in the locker room seemed forgotten.

After coach Ukai's intensive training, the boys settled in the school's facilities.

The evening was one of the funniest that Hinata remembered having spent a long time, laughing and joking with his teammates, those teammates he had always wanted to have. He was happy that Asahi and Nishinoya were there and hoped the boys’ club would be even more united after the training camp.

After dinner, Ukai said to the boys, “Someone should lay down the futons."

Hinata proposed himself.

The third-year students went to wash first, while Hinata rummaged with Kageyama in the closet inside the common bedroom. The futons were big and heavy, making Hinata totter under their bulk. He struggled to go back to make Kageyama get some of the mattresses.

"Can you carry them?" Kageyama asked him.

Hinata couldn't see him, his face was so sunk in the soft futons. "Sure!" he exclaimed, starting to go forward, but in the end, he hit the wall.

He heard a semi-muffled laugh from the setter. "If you continue like this, you will end up falling."

“I can do it, Kageyama. Wait and see!"

After two steps, he tripped over something he hadn't been able to see, perhaps someone's bag, he thought, dragged Kageyama down with him. Fortunately, they landed on each other in the soft.

Hinata heard Kageyama swear and laughed at the situation, even though he felt a bit weak under the weight of the other's body.

"I told you to be careful," Kageyama said.

Hinata noticed that Kageyama was standing on one elbow to avoid hurting him. Their faces were very close. Hinata was immediately attracted to the other's blue eyes. Kageyama had a distinctive aura, although one could like it or not. Hinata had thought that from the moment he had seen Kageyama set foot on the court before their match in junior high.

Hinata feared he had really pissed Kageyama off, but the other seemed busy staring at him in silence. Kageyama’s face was handsome when he didn't seem angry at everything and everyone. Hinata would have liked to see him like this on several occasions, primarily for his own sake, but also because he was sad that the other trusted the others so little.

"Kageyama ..." Hinata began in a low voice.

"What is it?"

Hinata bit his lip. "I'm sorry for that time I provoked you in the locker room, calling you a nasty person and saying that no one would want to send you a love letter. I went too far,” he admitted. He had waited for the right moment to apologize and couldn't procrastinate anymore.

"Why did this come to your mind now?" Kageyama asked, his eyebrows raised.

Hinata shrugged. "I don’t know. Maybe because today I realized how much fun we have together. You will be rude sometimes, but you also supported me, like when we played the game against the Neighborhood Association. On that occasion, you encouraged me, making me understand that I was worth something. But when you ignore me, I don't know...I feel sad." He thought back to the day he greeted Kageyama at the school entrance and how much he wanted to chat with him.

Suddenly Kageyama sat up. He pursed his lips in an imperceptible curse. “I never thought you could feel this way. Thanks… for telling me,” he whispered.

Kageyama was thanking him? Hinata couldn't believe it.

The setter was now standing by the closet. "I'm going to get the rest, and meanwhile, you can unroll the ones we've already taken," he said, then he turned.

Hinata didn’t immediately do what Kageyama had said. He looked at the ceiling, lost at one moment, thinking back when their bodies had touched.

* * *

Morning of the third day. The club went out for the usual warm-up run along the surrounding streets.

"Hinata, don’t stray too far from the group," Daichi shouted. In fact, Hinata was ahead of everyone, running at a fast pace.

"Okay!" Hinata said aloud. Meanwhile, Kageyama had approached him.

It wasn’t the first time that Kageyama showed the intention to challenge him. Hinata knew well that they ended up challenging each other in everything. Seeing that the other was about to overcome him without effort, all his good intentions to slow down went up in smoke. He took a few steps past Kageyama and saw what he expected, a flicker of determination in Kageyama's eyes as he kept up with him.

They ran, looking at each other. Hinata was ready to see some failure in the other, but nothing. This encouraged him not to give up. The more Hinata ran, the more he met the other's smile. He was enjoying himself. After several minutes, turning, the middle blocker saw that there was no one behind them and began to worry.

"Kageyama," he said. "I think we have taken the wrong path."

They stopped together.

"Have you noticed now?" Kageyama retorted.

"You could have noticed first, instead of…staring at me," Hinata protested, putting his hands to his warm cheeks.

Kageyama looked down the street. "Let's walk back," he said.

Hinata's heart kept beating fast, and he blamed the running. When he turned to Kageyama, he felt like smiling for no reason, so he looked shyly at the ground.

After a minute, he took a breath and started running again. "Try to reach me if you can!" he exclaimed to Kageyama.

He could hear Kageyama yelling at him. “Hinata, you dumbass!! That's not fair!!"

Hinata made the way back as Kageyama was chasing him.

Back at the school, the two found their teammates outside the gym. Ukai wasn’t happy with their detour. He stared at them both, frowning, but in the end, he sighed at their apologetic bows.

"What should I do with you two?" the coach began. “I am still amazed that you two haven't known each other since elementary school, always together enough to do anything crazy. I can see that your head is made of the same material."

Hinata didn't understand that comment, at least not at that exact moment. Were he and Kageyama similar? He felt that they were like day and night. He opened his mouth to protest, but Ukai spoke again, “Oh well, you've certainly warmed up. Let's start the actual training in the gym now. I want to see perfect receives because our opponents are certainly better than us in this field." He pointed to the gym door.

The frenzy of starting the actual training made Hinata forget everything. "Yes!" he exclaimed, and his voice overlapped another one coming from his side. It was Kageyama's. Realizing that they had spoken in unison, the two first-years looked at each other in surprise. Hinata swallowed and crossed the threshold of the gym.

* * *

When it was close to turning off the lights, the team was enjoying a moment of relaxation. Daichi and Sugawara were talking to the coach outside, Tsukishima and Yamaguchi were bathing. In the common bedroom, Asahi was studying, Kageyama seemed to be meditating while passing the volleyball in his hands. Hinata sat down against the wall, listening to the conversations of the second-year boys.

At one point, Nishinoya slid beside him.

"So, Hinata, did you identify the girl of the letter?" the libero asked, his arm encircling Hinata’s shoulders.

Hinata shook his head. “No, but I left a letter in my locker. Maybe this person will find it and take it. I want to know if they like volleyball. "

"Brilliant."

"Shimizu-senpai recommended it to me."

At the manager's name, Nishinoya and Tanaka became very attentive.

“Hinata, you are lucky. You have a crush and got advice from a goddess, don't waste this chance! " Tanaka exclaimed.

Hinata said solemnly, "Never!"

Nishinoya and Tanaka nodded respectfully.

"How should your ideal type be?" then asked the libero.

"Um," Hinata thought about it a bit. “I’d like them to be a sporty person, yes, with whom I have a lot of fun. This is why it would be perfect if they loved volleyball."

"You have a clear idea!" Nishinoya exclaimed, clapping him on the shoulder.

Hinata laughed. "This situation scares me," he admitted shyly then. “I don't know who this person is. Maybe I've never talked to them. I have no problem talking to others, but if I know from the start that a person has feelings for me, then I get nervous. I'm afraid I would no longer feel spontaneous in their presence. I prefer to know a person and then fall in love." Then he realized that maybe he had talked about boring thoughts. "I’m sorry that I made this kind of talk."

"Don’t worry, Hinata! I think it's normal," Tanaka assured him.

"It's not even said that she's a total stranger!" Ennoshita said.

Amid that chat, in which everyone described their ideal type, Tsukishima and Yamaguchi arrived in the room with towels around their necks and damp hair.

“Kageyama, Hinata, it's your turn to bathe,” Yamaguchi said.

Kageyama immediately got up and Hinata followed him. They both made their way quickly to still have hot water.

Once in the bathroom, they began to undress. Hinata blushed, realizing that he had to do it in front of Kageyama. He slowly took off his shirt, folded it, then pulled down his pants. He felt a desire to watch the other while he did the same, and he held back, trying to keep his head down. He already knew what his peer looked like, more or less, changing every day in the same locker room. Kageyama’s body was tall and slender, more trained than his, well proportioned. He would almost call him beautiful, reluctantly. In comparison, he felt backward with growth.

“I don't have to feel intimidated by the idea of sharing the tub with Kageyama. It’s not like he will eat me!" he thought to work up the courage, heart pounding in his chest. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Kageyama already washing under the shower. Hinata took courage and sat down beside him. He rinsed off as slowly as he had undressed.

Kageyama didn't say a word. He only spoke as he dived into the tub. "We don't have all evening, the water is cooling down here. Come."

Finally, Hinata looked at him and nodded. He slipped into the warm water with a sigh, immersing himself as much as possible, up to the tip of his nose. It was then that he looked at Kageyama.

His eyes lingered on his face, where his features had a more relaxed tinge at that moment. They glided over his arched black brows, the blue of his eyes, the smooth line of his nose, the firm line of his neck. His damp hair had stuck to his pale skin, reddened in several places where the jet of the shower had hit particularly hard.

At that sight, these words came to his mind, “ _I’d like them to be a sporty person, yes, with whom I have a lot of fun. This is why it would be perfect if they loved volleyball.”_

Hinata swallowed, starting to give a face to that description, and it was not a girl, but the boy who was in the water next to him. Kageyama was a certainty, thanks to his rude manners, yet Hinata could tell that the setter was the one he enjoyed the most. He enjoyed running along the streets with Kageyama. He enjoyed showing him that he was ready to run towards the net.

Ukai was right. They were different but also similar, which was why he wanted to be close to Kageyama, despite the fights. He had the impression that, when they played on the court, Kageyama understood him well.

He raised his head from the water. "Kageyama, have you ever dated anyone?" The question escaped his lips.

Kageyama's eyes widened. Hinata feared he might pass out in the tub. In that case, he doubted he would be able to get Kageyama out alone.

"What questions do you do?" the setter snapped, immediately turning red.

"I'm just curious."

"I haven’t."

"Um, okay."

There was a pause of silence. "Are you asking it because you talked with Tanaka and Nishinoya earlier?" Kageyama finally asked.

"Have you heard everything?"

"You know, I was in the same room."

Hinata said with a shy smile, "It relieves me to know that you too have no experience."

Kageyama sighed. “I've always only cared about volleyball. Plus, in junior high...I had...problems with people."

"Ah, yes, because they called you King of the Court." Hinata feared that the other would be angry because he had said the forbidden word, but Kageyama just nodded gravely.

“Anyway, I would never go out with someone who doesn't like volleyball,” Kageyama added.

"Right??" Hinata exclaimed. "Volleyball is the best sport in the world!" He hugged his knees, happy as every time someone said the word volleyball.

"You are right." Kageyama smiled, a spontaneous and bright smile, and Hinata smiled in return.

“You know, Kageyama, sometimes you are not bad. I’m glad to be your partner at Karasuno. Every now and then you say some really cool statements, like last time, what was it like? So long as I’m here, you will be the strongest?"

Kageyama covered his face with his hands. Hinata leaned towards the setter.

"Kageyama, let me see your face."

"No."

"But are you happy to have me as your partner or not?" Hinata asked.

Kageyama dropped his hands from his face and looked at him. "Yes."

Hinata laughed happily. "Hurray!"

"But don't screw up during the practice match against Nekoma."

Hinata imitated his voice, Kageyama became angered, and the two ended up splashing the water in the tub. Hinata wanted to hug Kageyama as he sometimes wanted to do on the court, but he avoided it not to be chased away.

The water was now cold. Kageyama got out of the bathroom quickly. While Hinata was still drying there, Asahi's words after the match against the Neighborhood Association came to his mind. The ace had said he had an extraordinary setter on his side. During that match, Kageyama had understood Hinata’s insecurity, even if Hinata had not said anything.

There was no need for many words between them, the facts were enough. Hinata knew that Kageyama would always be there for him when he wanted to try, and try again because, like him, Kageyama was never backing off. Kageyama would accompany him to where he wanted to fly, to the edge of the sky. If Hinata thought about it, he started smiling.

"Maybe I’m in love with Kageyama?" Hinata wondered, swallowing. After that question, an awareness came, so strong that it left him breathless. “This is why I'm happy when we play together, I find it hard to look at him when he undresses, I’m offended if he doesn't talk to me? No, it's not possible, and besides, he's my rival!"

He wondered what strength had that flesh that was in front of him a few minutes before, its warmth, its softness. He put his hands to his head, suddenly feeling tired.

From that evening on, Hinata completely forgot the letter. He no longer cared who had written it. The important thing was to train and be in the company of his teammates...of Kageyama.

* * *

Like anything long-awaited, Golden week ended quickly. On the first day of class, Hinata no longer found his letter in the locker, and a pink envelope had appeared in its place. It was like returning to a reality he had forgotten.

_I think I fell in love with you from the first moment I met you_ , it was written in the letter.

Hinata bit his lip. "Um, so is someone I maybe know ...?"

Since the training camp was over, his excitement towards the pink letters had diminished. During the lunch break, he kept turning the letter in his hands in the schoolyard.

"Hi, Hinata!" exclaimed a voice that he recognized instantly. That of Sugawara. Sugawara’s hands were tucked into his trouser pockets, his shirt sleeves rolled up to the elbows. It was a beautiful sunny day and was beginning to get warm.

"Good morning, Sugawara-san," Hinata greeted.

Sugawara sat down next to him. "I feel nostalgic thinking about the lunch breaks in which we used to train together in the schoolyard. Do you remember?"

Hinata laughed. "Yes. I will never stop thanking you."

"You don’t have to do that. I'm happy that you can train in the gym with Kageyama now."

They talked about the training camp, then Sugawara's eyes slid over the letter Hinata was holding. "Oh, a new letter?"

Hinata nodded.

"I'm so confused," he admitted. He told Sugawara about the trick Kiyoko had advised him. His letter was gone, probably the secret admirer had discovered it as they were about to put their own, and therefore Hinata was waiting for a reply. "The fact is that... maybe...I'm already in love with another person. I don't really know what to do."

"Why don't you know what to do?" Sugawara asked.

"Because maybe I have a chance with this admirer, whereas I doubt that the one I like can reciprocate my feelings."

“Don't you think that the one you like could be the person who sent you the letters? Have no illusions, but you never know."

Hinata remembered Kageyama trying to grab him because he was hit by the ball in the face instead of making a decent receive (although lately, the setter seemed to have calmed down a bit). It was already a miracle that Kageyama had begun to consider him a teammate. "No, I don't think so."

"Wait for the reply," Sugawara said. “Then you will decide what to do. You can also refuse if you are not convinced. It's nice to have admirers, but having a girlfriend isn't mandatory. Maybe the secret is to leave the opportunities open and not have many expectations, or at least, I always take it that way. I'm not that strong-willed person.” His gaze became pensive, but, shortly after, he smiled. "But if you like someone, don't give up easily, I'm sure of that!"

“I think I have no other choice, Sugawara-san. I got in trouble." Hinata laughed, feeling relieved. He folded the letter and put it away.

* * *

_Yes, I've been playing volleyball since I was three._

That was the answer, the next day. It hadn't been long in coming.

Hinata's eyes widened. “Three years old? So early?? Who is it?" he thought, leaning against the lockers. That changed many things. Did that mean that he was dealing with someone as passionate about volleyball as he was? He brought the letter to his chest instinctively, eyes closed, inhaling deeply.

When he opened his eyes, he noticed that Kageyama watched him from his locker, and Hinata felt flushed from being caught in that position.

"Oh, ah, Kageyama, I didn't see you," he said, closing the locker and walking towards Kageyama. "Don't make fun of me," he stammered.

The other raised his dark eyebrows. "I'm not going to do that," he said calmly.

Hinata relaxed his shoulders. "Ah, thank goodness."

"Another letter?" Kageyama asked as he put on his uwabaki.

"Yes. I hope to create a correspondence, but it is not yet known. I hope so!" Hinata exclaimed, putting the letter away and hastening his pace. "I'm going to class, bye!"

In the hallway, Hinata thought with a groan, "It's strange that I always catch him in these situations!" Part of himself wished Kageyama didn't see him with the letter. Instead, Hinata wanted to give him an impression that would shout something similar to "hey, I don’t have admirers, maybe I would like to be with you, but I don’t understand what's happening to me, and you would answer me with a punch."

The Japanese teacher had not yet arrived in class, and a disconcerting detail occurred to him about the letter he had just found. "Oh, if this person really likes volleyball…will they be in a volleyball club?"

So, after training, he sneaked out of the gym. Kageyama was about to go up to the locker room and asked Hinata, "Hey, where are you going?"

Hinata turned, feeling that his secret plan had been discovered.

“To the gym where the girls from the volleyball club train,” he said. "Tell the captain I'll be right back!"

He went to the door of the other gym. It was ajar, so Hinata could hear the ball bounce off the ground and peeked inside. He had never spoken to any of the girls on the team, but he recognized the captain of the team (and Daichi’s friend), Yui Michimiya, by her short dark brown hair. The team wasn't done yet. Hinata stayed ten minutes watching them play. At the end of the training, the captain clapped her hands. The girls went out one after the other. Hinata flattened himself against the wall, hoping not to be discovered. Yui was the last to come out.

"Hey", Hinata whispered in the shadows.

Yui turned, jumping in surprise. "A child?" she exclaimed.

“I'm from Sawamura-san's team,” Hinata explained, not moving. "Michimiya-senpai, I need to talk to you... if you have a moment."

She looked at her teammates. "Go get your things, girls" she shouted. "I'll join you immediately."

When they were alone, Hinata relaxed. "Do you know if there is anyone among your team who has been playing volleyball since she was three?"

She frowned, then put her hands on her hips and tilted her head, looking amused. "Ah, is this what you want to know? "

"I'm trying to identify a person."

She nodded. “Okay! Unfortunately not. I have played since first grade, and the others started in junior high or high school. I'm sorry."

"I see. Thanks a lot." Hinata bowed.

He had three probabilities left; the first was that the person in the letter was lying, the second was that she didn't join in the volleyball club, despite being very passionate, the third ...

“Or _he_ 's on my team,” Hinata thought. Then he shook his head. "No, impossible."

If he thought Tsukishima writing a letter to him, he immediately felt like laughing. His thoughts ran to Kageyama.

“I wish it were him, but it seems nonsense to me. Kageyama just sees me as the bait for victory," he reflected with sadness. He took his bag from the boys’ locker room. Kageyama had already gone home.

____

Since practice for that day was canceled, Hinata could go home earlier. He went to the school entrance to change his shoes and saw there the last scene he would have expected to see. Kageyama in front of his locker, a pink envelope in his hand. Kageyama noticed him when they were very close. Hinata, breathless, saw his teammate turn pale.

“Kageyama,” he shouted. "What...what are you doing with one of the letters in your hand?!"

Hinata tried to catch it, but Kageyama was too tall.

"You never understood anything ..." Kageyama said angrily.

"One thing I get is that you aren’t allowed to take anything from my locker. Letters are my business!"

The setter took Hinata by the arm, in a secluded corner.

"I was putting it in your locker," Kageyama hissed. "I'm the one writing letters to you, dumbass!"

Hinata remained motionless. It was as if someone had pulled the plug of his brain, he was no longer understanding anything. He saw only Kageyama and mist all around his silhouette. "Huh? It's not possible...” he stammered.

"Why was I always there when you found them?" Kageyama continued, more calmly this time. "I put them in your locker early in the morning and then stopped to see your reactions when you read them. I'll give you the proof you are looking for." He rummaged in his bag and pulled out many pink envelopes with red hearts.

The entrance was getting crowded. Hinata became aware of where they were and looked around.

"Let's go out to talk about it, please," he whispered.

Kageyama nodded.

They stood under a cluster of trees in the courtyard. For the first few seconds, the two boys remained silent. Hinata had never seen Kageyama so hesitant. He even looked dejected. On the other hand, Hinata wanted to ask him endless questions but didn't know where to start.

"You weren't making fun of me, were you?" he said in a faint voice. “I couldn't handle such a thing. Those letters made me feel so important." Hinata looked at the ground.

"Of course not!" Kageyama hastened to say. "My feelings are real."

Hinata jerked his head up, his face on fire. It was true then. Kageyama felt something for him. He had written that he loved him. Even that he found him beautiful.

"I know you were expecting a girl," Kageyama continued.

"I thought it was more likely, but the last person I would have imagined was you. Pink letters with hearts ... how the heck could I connect them to you?" protested Hinata.

Kageyama sighed. "I imagined that you would dislike the idea that it was me. Actually, I didn't even want to be discovered...I've never been good with feelings. The envelopes and the writing paper belonged to my sister. They were a gift from a friend during high school, but she never used them. I found them a few weeks ago in a drawer. I just wanted to remove a burden by writing, but it doesn't matter anymore. If you want to refuse me, do it bluntly. I will continue to play volleyball well as if nothing had happened between us."

Kageyama was waiting for the rejection that would never come.

"You're a fool, Kageyama!," Hinata cried out.

"What? Don't you think you're going too far, after the effort I went to admit everything?" Kageyama shouted, taking a step closer to Hinata. The air was beginning to electrify.

"And you…don’t you see that I always look at you, feeling the luckiest person on Earth?"

Kageyama's eyes widened. "What?"

Hinata smiled. "I have no intention of rejecting you."

Kageyama held his breath. Hinata couldn't feel himself breathing anymore either. Maybe all the students had heard their confession, but that was fine for him. Now that he had discovered everything, he felt light as a feather.

"You said no one would want me."

“I was angry because you almost didn't say hello to me then,” Hinata said.

Kageyama ran a hand nervously over his face. “That day, I avoided you because I was ashamed. I just put a letter of declaration of love in your locker. I wanted to disappear. You are important to me, yes, I really wanted to make you feel… important then. "

"You are important to me, too. And…if I wanted to be with you, what would we do? "

Kageyama remained silent, then said, "Well...we could go out together, watch volleyball games...do the usual things we do, train a lot and...more." He blushed suddenly. Hinata, on the other hand, had already gone into combustion.

"Do you think our relationship is going to change a lot?"

"I don't know, but I don't want to."

Hinata nodded. "Will you take my hand?"

Kageyama reached out, and their fingers intertwined. Hinata squeezed the other's hand lightly. He held it while they left the school together, sweating a little and hoping that his physical reaction didn’t bother Kageyama. He took the bike but did not get on it, preferring to walk a stretch of the road with the other.

“I feel relieved to know you were the one writing the letters,” Hinata suddenly said, laughing. “Since the training camp, I thought often about you, but I was confused. I never fell in love with a boy, and then I didn't realize I was reciprocated. "

"I've been thinking about you since the match we played in junior high."

Hinata stopped. "I didn't realize it," he exclaimed, then said, "Kageyama, can I read the letter you wrote me?"

Kageyama reached into his pocket. Hinata tried to take the letter but Kageyama moved it out of his reach. “At home, though. Promise me."

“How shy you are. Okay, I promise. " Hinata grabbed it with a jump and brought it affectionately at his chest.

The road was about to fork. Knowing that they should say goodbye, Hinata felt clumsy. He would have liked to kiss Kageyama, but couldn't take the initiative, he was too short and wondered if it was too fast. Kageyama avoided his eyes.

“Um, goodbye, Kageyama. See you tomorrow,” Hinata said. He drew back for a second, then thought back on it and instinctively threw himself into Kageyama’s arms. Kageyama’s body seemed rigid as stone, while Hinata trembled, but then the setter relaxed, becoming more welcoming, and hugged Hinata in turn. Hinata buried his cheek in the other’s uniform.

"Kageyama, if you want, you can ..."

Hinata saw Kageyama bringing his face closer and closed his eyes full of expectation. He felt a light press of his moist lips and sighed, while a flash of white light caught him as if he was struck by lightning, his body shivering in just a second.

"See you tomorrow, Hinata," Kageyama greeted him, words barely audible.

Hinata nodded furiously, then jumped on his bike. That day, he sped across the mountains faster than usual. His greatest rival had turned into his greatest ally and something more important as well. He couldn't wait to read Kageyama's letter and thought about telling him to keep writing them.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading to the end. English is not my first language, but I tried to do my best! Leave a comment if you want, I'll be happy to answer you!


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